Trace-holder.



A. D. KRAUSE.

TRACE HOLDER.

' APPLICATION FILED n13.1s,1e11.

m J Z M Attorneys Witnesses ADOLPI-I D. KRAUSE, OF GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN.

TRACE-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 27, 1911.-

Application filed. February 18, 1911. Serial No. 609,331.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADonPH D. KRAUSE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Green Bay, in the county of Brown and State of lVisconsin,have invented a new and useful Trace-Holder, of which the following is aspecification.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved traceholder and the invention aims, among other things, to proyide a traceholder which will not require that the trace be formed with largeopenings or slits liable to materially weaken it.

The invention further contemplates that the trace holder shall be soconstructed as to prevent disengagement or disarrangement of the tracewith respect thereto when the vehicle upon which the trace holder ismounted, is being backed. Incidentally, the invention aims to soconstruct the holder that the trace will be held more firmly, thegreater the pull exerted upon it.

In the accompanying drawingsFigure 1 is a perspective view of the traceholderembodying the present invention, the same being illustrated asmounted at one end of a whiffle tree. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of thetrace holder.

In the drawings, there is shown one end of a whiflie tree W supportingthe trace holder embodying the present invention. The said holderembodies, primarily, a head 5 which is formed with a corrugated orotherwise roughened face 6 presented laterally outwardly. The rearportion of the head is rounded as at 7 although the remaining portion ofthe face 6 thereof is flat, or substantially so. It is preferable thatthe corrugations of the face 6 extend vertically.

Pivoted to the head 5 at the rear end thereof are the arms 8 of a bailthe connect ing portion of which is indicated by the numeral 9. Thisportion 9 is formed upon that side which opposes the face 6, with a stud10 adapted to project through one of several openings 11 formed in thetrace to be held by the device, the trace being indicated in thedrawings by the reference character T. As illustrated in Fig. 1 of thedrawings, the face 6 of the head is recessed as at 12 and secured inthis recess is a leaf spring 13 the free end of which projectsrearwardly and has a tendency to spring away from the face, and,further, is located opposite the connecting portion 9 of the bail whenthe bail is in position substantially at right angles to the head.

It will be apparent from an inspection of the two figures of thedrawings that in connecting a trace with the device, the former isinserted through the bail or in other words between the connectingportion of the bail and the face 6 of the head 5. The stud 10 is engagedthrough one of the several openings l1 and a forward pull upon the tracewill result in the bail being swung in a corresponding direction and inthe trace being firmly frictionally clamped between the connectingportion of the bail and the corrugated face 6 of the said head. Inasmuchas when the vehicle upon which the whiiile tree W' is carried, is beingbacked, the traces T become slack, it is expedient that some means beprovided to insure against movement of the traces to disengage from thestuds 10. This means is embodied in the spring 13 which bears yieldablyagainst the trace and holds the same yieldably against the connectingportion 9 of the bail and consequently in engagement with the stud 10upon this said portion 9. Thus,'when the trace becomes slack, and thebail rocks rearwardly to a greater or less degree, the spring 13 willspring away from the face 6 of the head and hold the trace in theengagementstated.

To adapt the device for use both with heavy and light harness, a T-hook14 is formed upon the head 5 and projects forwardly and inwardlytherefrom and with this head may be engaged a heavy trace or a tracechain.

What is claimed is:

1. A trace holder comprising a head, a trace receiving bail pivoted tothe head and having a stud adapted to project through a trace insertedbetween the bail and head, and means upon the head adapted to bearyieldably against the trace and hold the same against movement todisengage from the stud.

2. A trace holder comprising a head, a trace receiving bail pivoted tothe head and having a stud adapted to project through a trace insertedbetween the bail and head, and a spring upon the head adapted to bearyieldably against the trace and hold the same against movement todisengage from the stud.

3. A trace comprising a head, a trace-reand head, and means upon thehead adapted to bear yieldably against the trace and hold the sameagainst movement to disengage from the stud, the said means comprising aleaf sprlng secured to the head and having a projecting portion locatedopposite the 10 connecting portion of the bail.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my oWn, I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

ADOLPH D. KRAUSE.

Witnesses: t

M. E. DAvIs, W. S. ROBBINS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G.

